Oct 27 2017
The Aviation Institute of Maintenance (AIM) is now offering unmanned aerial systems (drone) training for individuals in the Charlotte, NC metro area.
This comes as a response to the Part 107 regulations set forth by the FAA in regards to commercial use of unmanned aircraft and the growth of aerospace innovation within the Charlotte metro area.
AIM began offering this training to local students at Olympic High School on October 11th. Courses will continue through November 11th. The program teaches students the history of unmanned aircraft, their various uses, the development of governmental regulations relating to drone use, and explores future opportunities in this growing field of aviation.
"We offer the drone pilot course within the local communities of all 11 of our campuses around the country, and we make it a practice to offer free training opportunities to high school students within the communities we serve," states Vice President of Operations for AIM, Dr. Joel English. "We plan to bring our newest and most advanced AIM campus to the Charlotte area in 2018, and we feel that partnering with Olympic High School to provide its students with training and FAA certification is a meaningful entry into the Charlotte community."
Specific topics covered in the drone course include airspace classifications, operating requirements, and various flight restrictions affecting small unmanned aircraft operation. Additional areas of learning include: the effects of weather on drone performance, aircraft loading, emergency procedures, radio communication procedures, drone maintenance and preflight inspection procedures, and more.
As a part of the program, AIM has signed a licensing agreement with Little Arms Ltd. for the use of their Zephyr drone flight simulator software.
The drone program culminates with a Fly Day event, to be held at Olympic High School from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This event is open to the public and will showcase the skills the students acquired during their training, highlighted by actual drone flight
displays.
The Aviation Institute of Maintenance's UAS training prepares students to take the FAA Unmanned Aircraft General (UAG) pilot exam, which is required to obtain their FAA 107 operator certificate.
"Learning how to operate unmanned aircraft systems and receiving the FAA 107 certificate places our students on the leading edge of the future of aviation," says Michael Sasso, Director of Education at Aviation Institute of Maintenance. "This affords students the opportunity to fill the upcoming demand for drone pilots".